A much-hyped day of protest by British fascists turned into a humiliating flop yesterday, after poorly attended British National party (BNP) and English Defence League (EDL) demonstrations were outnumbered by police and press.

In one EDL-organised ‘vigil’ in Exeter, no-one at all turned up. In Bristol, five supporters attended.

In Leeds, 20 EDL members were outnumbered by 30 opponents who chanted: “You’re not welcome here.”

Similar reports came in from Manchester, Oxford and Edinburgh.

In Westminster, a much-publicised BNP demonstration was attended by just 150 people – far fewer than those who attended a nearby demonstration to protect badgers.

People who wanted to come have been turned away by the police,” leader Nick Griffin insisted.

“People have been attacked by the far left gang on their way in, so perhaps that’s cut numbers.”

Police held 58 anti-fascist counter-demonstrators for breach of the peace.

A plannnd BNP march from Woolwich to Lewisham was cancelled after a well-organised anti-fascist counter-demonstration

“The coming together of so many different faiths, races and sections of society to declare ‘you pick on one of us, then you pick on all of us’ is the real victory,” a mosque spokesperson said.